Stranger Things Creators Face Backlash Over Unscripted Kiss

The Duffer Brothers have found themselves in some controversy for pushing an unscripted kiss between two teenage actors on the set of Stranger Things Season 2. The news came during Netflix's after show for the hit series, "Beyond Stranger Things." Sadie Sink, who plays Max, revealed that the kiss was unscripted and that it really "stressed" her out the day of the shoot. The 15-year old actress, who was 14 at the time, openly blamed the Duffer Brothers for springing the kiss on them early in the morning before production had begun. SPOILER ALERT, there are potential spoilers for Stranger Things Season 2 below.

The Snow Ball scene provided a heartwarming ending to what was a particularly stressful Season 2 with an adorably awkward junior high dance. However, it turns out that the adorable winter dance scene was not that stress-free for the actors because the kiss between Max and Lucas was in fact initially unscripted, and the creators of the show, the Duffer Brothers, have now come under fire after suggesting that it was actress Sadie Sink's fault for the inclusion of the kiss after she became "stressed out" by the last-minute addition of the scene. The very first episode of "Beyond Stranger Things" features Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard and they both recalled how nervous and stressed out that Sadie Sink was on the day of the shoot.

During the second episode of Beyond Stranger Things, Sadie Sink was quick to point out that the Max and Lucas kiss wasn't originally in the script. And things only got uncomfortably heated from there. The 15-year old actress is clearly upset as she details the shock of learning that she had to do an onscreen kiss without any warning. She admitted that the impending kiss "stressed" her out. Sink had this to say.

"One of you, I think it was you Ross, you say, 'Ooh, Sadie, you ready for the kiss?' I'm like, 'What! No! That's not in the script ... that's not happening... So the whole day I was like stressed out, I was like oh my god, wait, am I gonna have to... is it gonna happen, is it not... and it didn't happen that day, but then the second day of filming the Snowball (it happened)."

In response, the Duffer Brothers chose not to console Sadie Sink or apologize to her. Instead, Ross Duffer told the young actress that adding in the kiss was actually her fault. According to Ross Duffer, they originally brought up the kiss as a joke, but Sink's reaction influenced them to include it in the episode. Ross Duffer explains.

"You reacted so strongly to this. I was just joking, and you were so freaked out that I was like well, I gotta make her do it now. That's why I'm saying it's your fault."

The uncomfortable back and forth between the Duffer Brothers and Sadie Sink is visibly unsettling and many fans of the show took to social media to criticize the Duffer Brothers for coercing a 14-year old actress into an unscripted kissing scene in front of the cast, crew, and even her mother. One Twitter user said, "is it just me that got uncomf w/beyond stranger things where they kinda forced the kids to kiss despite the actresses not really wanting to?" While another user said, "So f$%@ing not ok." You can read some more outrage over the unscripted kiss below, courtesy of Frankie J's Twitter account.

With all the sex crap in Hollywood nowBeyond Stranger ThingsKids talking about the kiss scenesSaying it was they’re own idea...creepy af

The Duffer Brothers didn't inform Sadie about the kiss. The scene wasn't part of the original script and they made her do it even when she said that she was feeling uncomfortable. She's 15. Men are trash.